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Cinderella By: Henry W. Hewet |
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HEWET'S HOUSEHOLD STORIES FOR LITTLE FOLKS ILLUSTRATED W. H. THWAITE ENGRAVED BY THE BEST ARTISTS.
VOL I. CINDERELLA 1855
[Illustration: Frontispiece]
CINDERELLA; Or, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER.
There once lived a gentleman and his wife, who were the parents of a
lovely little daughter. When this child was only nine years of age, her mother fell sick.
Finding her death coming on, she called her child to her and said to
her, "My child, always be good; bear every thing that happens to you
with patience, and whatever evil and troubles you may suffer, you will
be happy in the end if you are so." Then the poor lady died, and her
daughter was full of great grief at the loss of a mother so good and
kind. The father too was unhappy, but he sought to get rid of his sorrow by
marrying another wife, and he looked out for some prudent lady who might
be a second mother to his child, and a companion to himself. His choice
fell on a widow lady, of a proud and tyrannical temper, who had two
daughters by a former marriage, both as haughty and bad tempered as
their mother. No sooner was the wedding over, than the step mother began
to show her bad temper. She could not bear her step daughter's good
qualities, that only showed up her daughters' unamiable ones still more
obviously, and she accordingly compelled the poor girl to do all the
drudgery of the household. It was she who washed the dishes, and
scrubbed down the stairs, and polished the floors in my lady's chamber
and in those of the two pert misses, her daughters; and while the latter
slept on good feather beds in elegant rooms, furnished with full length
looking glasses, their sister lay in a wretched garret on an old straw
mattress. Yet the poor thing bore this ill treatment very meekly, and
did not dare complain to her father, who thought so much of his wife
that he would only have scolded her. When her work was done, she used to sit in the chimney corner amongst
the cinders, which had caused the nickname of Cinderella to be given
her by the family; yet, for all her shabby clothes, Cinderella was a
hundred times prettier than her sisters, let them be dressed ever so
magnificently. The poor little Cinder wench! this harsh stepmother was a sore trial to
her; and how often, as she sate sadly by herself, did she feel that
there is no mother like our own, the dear parent whose flesh and blood
we are, and who bears all our little cares and sorrows tenderly as in
the apple of her eye! It happened that the king's son gave a ball, to which he invited all the
nobility; and, as our two young ladies made a great figure in the world,
they were included in the list of invitations. So they began to be very
busy choosing what head dress and which gown would be the most becoming.
Here was fresh work for poor Cinderella: for it was she, forsooth, who
was to starch and get up their ruffles, and iron all their fine linen;
and nothing but dress was talked about for days together. "I," said the
eldest, "shall put on my red velvet dress, with my point lace
trimmings." "And I," said the younger sister, "shall wear my usual
petticoat, but shall set it off with my gold brocaded train and my
circlet of diamonds." [Illustration: CINDERELLA DRESSING HER SISTER'S HAIR.] They sent for a clever tire woman to prepare the double rows of quilling
for their caps, and they purchased a quantity of fashionably cut
patches. They called in Cinderella to take her advice, as she had such
good taste, and Cinderella not only advised them well, but offered to
dress their hair, which they were pleased to accept. While she was thus
busied, the sisters said to her: "And pray, Cinderella, would you like
to go to the ball?" "Nay, you are mocking me," replied the poor girl; "it is not for such as
I to go to balls." "True enough," rejoined they; "folks would laugh to
see a Cinderella at a court ball." These two step sisters were very cruel to Cinderella, and ill used her
much. Ah! what sweet friends are our own born sisters! there can be no
substitutes like them in the whole wide world... Continue reading book >>
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